Many optical fabrics direct an incoming and outgoing optical beam along the same optical path. Such optical fabrics may include optical switches, waveblockers and optical attenuators. FIG. 1 shows a simplified example of a wavelength blocker 100 that is based on a MEMs (micro electro-mechanical system) mirror array such as a DMD (digital micromirror device) 108. In a 1×1 wavelength blocker the fiber array 110 is a single fiber that serves as an input and output port. Often a circulator (not shown) or other means are used to separate the incoming and outgoing beams. If the fiber array 110 includes N fibers, then each fiber serves as an input and output port. Such a device provides N 1×1 wavelength blockers using a common optical fabric and is referred to as a wavelength blocker array. In such a device the launch optics would generally require the fiber array 110 and a series of circulators or the like to separate each of the N incoming beams and the N outgoing beams.
It would be desirable to provide a launch optics arrangement that is less complex and costly for use with an optical fabric such as the wavelength blocker array described above.